Visit Reaction: M Leads For Jackson

While the game itself didn't have the desired outcome, last weekend proved to be a good one for Michigan's recruiting efforts. Four big-time official visitors took in the game and the Wolverines look to have a great shot with at least three of them.

Top-100 CA ATH Lamar Jackson, who could be a corner or safety at Michigan, told 247's Steve Lorenz that the Wolverines now lead after his official ($):

"Yeah, I'd say Michigan leads," he said. "The Michigan experience kind of spoke for itself. The atmosphere at the game was incredible, the academics at Michigan are great and I learned a lot about the program, the players and the leadership of Coach Harbaugh was really impressive to me. I wasn't sure heading into the visit because it's a long ways away and I was not familiar with the weather, but the visit definitely changed my mind on things."

Michigan is clearly in great shape. This was Jackson's fourth official and he hasn't scheduled his fifth; while many considered USC the odds-on favorite, he has no plans to see them on an unofficial before announcing his decision at the Under Armour game.

Five-star GA TE Isaac Nauta is right up there with Rashan Gary as the top overall target on the board, and he told Scout's Chad Simmons he was "very surprised" by how much he liked Michigan ($):

"Coach Harbaugh told me and showed me that there is a both, a need for me, and a want for me at Michigan. We looked at film, we had a talk, and I saw a lot. at the end of the visit, I was just surprised more than anything else.

"I just did not expect it to be that way. My mind about Michigan has definitely been changed."

Lorenz chatted with us on MGoRadio yesterday and said the visit couldn't have gone much better; that said, he also thinks Nauta still ends up at Georgia, though Michigan has made this a tough decision. Nauta plans to announce at the Army All-American Game.

"I really like how it went," Crawford said. "I could see myself fitting in there. I feel like I could play there. I like the coaching staff and obviously the Michigan education is solid and the networking there is unreal. "They don't really have a slot player who could take the fly sweep. They were showing me all the footage about how they have to bring Jabrill (Peppers) on offense to do the bubble screen routes and stuff like that. They said if I was there they wouldn't need to do that."

After talking to a couple sources close to Crawford's recruitment, Lorenz put in a Crystal Ball pick for Michigan ($). One team to watch is Oregon; they haven't offered Crawford yet and could become a major factor if they do.

Finally, after taking officials to both Notre Dame and Michigan, top-100 CB David Long told Scout's Greg Biggins he isn't certain about his Stanford commitment:

"I think there's still some question if they want me more for receiver or corner," Long said. "Notre Dame and Michigan both are recruiting me 100% for corner but I think that's still in question a little with Stanford.

"I'm still committed but I'm also thinking about maybe opening things up a little to make sure I'm doing the right thing. It's such a huge decision and I want to make sure I'm 100% comfortable with it. You can't go wrong with Stanford and I know that but I just want to be totally sure about this."

Long said he "got a little better vibe and felt more comfortable at Michigan" compared to Notre Dame. He's still a Stanford commit and the other California schools will be in the mix as well.

Mitchell, Upshur Set Decision Dates

Let's start with the probable good news before the probable bad news. Top-100 NJ WR Ahmir Mitchelltweeted yesterday that he'll announce his decision between Michigan and Ohio State on Thursday evening. Unless there's a major shift in his recruitment between now and then, Mitchell should end up with the good guys.

Four-star PA TE Naseir Upshurset his announcement for September 1st, and while Michigan is a finalist, all signs point to Florida State being the choice.

FOOTBALL IS HERE

VICIOUS VIC VIRAMONTES WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME YOU, PUNY HIGH SCHOOL LINEBACKER, TO THE 2015 SEASON:

This was only a scrimmage, but ask #46 whether it felt like it counted.

Note: The slew of commitments pushed this back, but I'm still taking questions via email or Twitter (use the hashtag #mgomailbag) for a recruiting mailbag that—any further recruiting developments pending—should go up tomorrow.

A4 To Your Door/No Sleepers No More

Just another totally normal Harbaugh picture. [Fuller]

Michigan hosted their "Aerial Assault" quarterback camp over the weekend. It featured such football activities as fielding ground balls and dodgeball; reportedly, the quarterbacks also threw an actual football around a little bit. Because Jim Harbaugh was involved, they kept score for the top campers, and M commit Brandon Peters came out on top, per TMI's Brice Marich:

The headliner of the camp was Avon, Indiana junior quarterback and Wolverine commit in Brandon Peters. The 6-4, 209-pound gun slinger showed off his strong arm and his footwork in several drills. He was in the top overall group and performed very well even in dodgeball. He clearly soaked in tutelage from signal callers like Jay Cutler and ultimately earned the crown as the camp’s top performer.

2017 four-star NY QB Jack Coan, the only rising junior offeree in attendance, found the camp as strange and informative as one would expect, per 247's Steve Lorenz ($):

"The camp itself was one of the most unique experiences I've ever had since I started playing football," Coan said. "I didn't go into the camp expecting to play baseball or dodgeball or anything like that, but it worked and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I've had from a camp standpoint. I learned a lot from a lot of great current and former players and coaches. It was really great to work with someone like Jay Cutler and a coach like Coach Harbaugh who has seen the position from every different angle."

Coan also took a campus tour while in Ann Arbor. Michigan seems to be in pretty good shape for him.

2018 Paramus (NJ) Catholic QB Allan Walters also worked with the top group. He showed enough to earn an offer, and he was still having a hard time expressing his excitement when 247's Steve Wiltfong caught up with him:

"I'm so excited I can't express it," Walters said. "I don't know a better offer for a quarterback. Harbaugh and Michigan that's unbelievable. I'm in shock and so excited."

Walters also has early offers from Rutgers and Temple. The ever-strengthening connection between Michigan and Paramus Catholic should help here.

Big Visit Weekend Ahead

Michigan is set to host a solid group of targets this weekend. Before getting to the full list, let's check in with three-star NJ OT Will Fries, who wrapped up a two-day visit yesterday and gave his reaction to 247's Clint Brewster ($):

"It was amazing I had great time," Fries told Wolverine247.

Is Michigan in Fries' top group now following the visit?

"Yes, they are."

Excellent.

The list of weekend visitors comes courtesy of reports from The Wolverine's Tim Sullivan($) and 247's Steve Lorenz($), unless otherwise noted. While there isn't a full-blown "buckle up" situation heading into the weekend, it's worth keeping an eye on a couple of these prospects:

Five-star WI OT Ben Bredeson will be on campus all weekend, and this is a hugely important visit for Michigan, as this is likely his last trip to Ann Arbor before he makes a decision in early June. The Wolverines are in a top four along with Wisconsin, Notre Dame, and Ohio State; the Badgers appear to be M's chief competition.

Four-star Farmington Hills Harrison DE Khalid Kareemtold TomVH he'll take a weekend visit. Kareem has been a steady presence on campus since Jim Harbaugh arrived, but Michigan has plenty of competition from the likes of Alabama, Michigan State, and Notre Dame.

Four-star IN WR Austin Mack will be in Ann Arbor on Saturday, a visit sandwiched between trips to Notre Dame and Ohio State this weekend, per 247's Bill Kurelic ($). Mack is expected to end up with the Buckeyes when he announces his decision on June 7th.

Three-star ATH Kiante Enis and four-star all-purpose back Chris Evans will both make the trip from Indiana. Enis, a running back who could play a number of positions, already holds an offer. Evans doesn't, but he's expected to add one this weekend, and if he does there are rumblings of a potential commitment—his Crystal Ball immediately added several Michigan predictions after the visit was announced.

Three-star Paramus (NJ) Catholic WR Donald Stewart already has Michigan at the top of his list heading into his first campus visit. Lorenz reports that while a commitment isn't expected to occur this weekend, one could come shortly thereafter.

Three-star MN ATH JD Spielman is still getting his football recruitment off the ground after committing to Ohio State to play lacrosse. He's expected to choose football at the next level, and Michigan was one of his first offers for the gridiron.

2017 four-star QB Dylan McCaffrey and 2017 in-state DE Corey Malone-Hatcher will be in Ann Arbor, as well. Malone-Hatcher is visiting this weekend since he has a conflict preventing him from attending next Tuesday's in-state Junior Day, when the other seven in-state rising juniors offered by Michigan will all be on campus.

2016 commits Brandon Peters and Matt Falcon will assuredly have their recruiting hats on. Peters, especially, could help convince his fellow Hoosier State prospects to join up.

There's a notable omission: Four-star IN DE Auston Robertson previously planned to visit with Austin Mack, but his mother told 247's Steve Wiltfong that he'll be at Notre Dame on Saturday ($). Robertson is considered a Michigan State lean, and with his decision coming up on June 7th, Michigan's chances are slim at best without getting a final chance to impress him.

The Williams conundrum

I've mentioned this in a UV or two, but it warrants mention here due to Developments: Michigan is suddenly hot in the recruitment of VCU decommit Kenny Williams, a 2015 combo guard who is back on the market after Shaka Smart took the Texas job. Williams picked up a slew of Michigan Crystal Ball picks from insiders unconnected to M—usually a good sign if they're pros, as a few are—and then Beilein started tracking him in earnest.

The Chesterfield, Virginia native confirmed to UMHoops.com that John Beilein plans to meet with the shooting guard now that he has been granted his release from the Rams.

“The plan is for him to come down this weekend,” Williams said in a text message to UM Hoops.

Other contenders include Georgetown, UNC, and Virginia. The kid is evidently very interested in Michigan, and Sam Webb reports that Beilein really likes him… and that Williams is not a contingency plan($). That stroke gets his attention.

Where does the scholarship come from? With wings and shooting guards cramming into the NBA draft and Caris LeVert slipping towards the tail end of the first round, it does not look like it'll be the NBA's doing. LeVert:

“I still have a ways before I can start running and jumping,” LeVert said. “Going out there tomorrow would probably be a stretch. … But I don’t have to do that. The combine isn’t tomorrow. I still have a couple more weeks to go. Hopefully in a couple weeks I’ll feel a little bit better.”

Additionally, LeVert admitted Wednesday night that if the second evaluation reveals he would likely be a second-round pick, he would most likely come back to school.

“I don’t think it really makes sense to go early and be drafted in the second round,” he said.

That is a nice change from Harris/Morris/Robinson, and if plugged in people feel that Caris is not a first-rounder after his injury and the pile of early entries the needle points to him staying on scholarship. So it seems likely at this point that if Williams does commit, Hatch will transition to a medical scholarship.

What about Jaylen Brown? If Williams wants to commit it looks like Michigan will check back with Brown just in case he wants to drop, and in the highly likely scenario he doesn't they'll take the bird in the hand.

Where does playing time come from? I can't answer that one. Even without Williams next year's roster is jam-packed.

On campus right now

Offered MI K/P Quinn Nordin is in Ann Arbor as you read this. Nordin may be the top kicker in the country. Though you hear that about every kicker Michigan recruits, Nordin has 20 offers—an absolute ton for a specialists. Nordin's announced that he plans on attending MSU's spring game on the 25th so a commit is probably not in the offing, but Brandon Peters was supposed to hold off on his Michigan commitment and that didn't happen.

Michigan could have an edge since Nordin is affiliated with Kornblue kicking, and Brandon Kornblue is a Michigan alum. Since Michigan's offer, a pile of predictions have come in for M, including Ace's.

Forks up

True story: when we were in college doing dumb college things one of them was voting with forks. One of the house rules was "one man, one fork" and people would express approval by exclaiming "forks up!"

This is again relevant to my life because occasionally I read articles about Arizona State recruiting pitches. This one was made to VA WR JJ Givens:

"I know for sure I'm going to Arizona State and Michigan this summer. The whole forks up mantra at Arizona State excites me, It's a program I grew up watching. With Michigan, I just love everything about them. They just got Harbaugh as their coach, they have NFL experience now. I look up to Jabrill Peppers and I work out with Derrick Green here a lot in Virginia."

Oh and Givens seems to really like the idea of Michigan. Michigan has offered, though these days they're emphatically on board the "offer everyone and let God sort 'em out" train, so it's hard to tell how high he is on their board.

“I would most likely the WILL or MIKE position, just because their SAM is more like a two point end that rushes the passer mostly.”

So keep that in mind.

As far as Eifler's trip, it went well, getting the "blown away" headline designation. Eifler's chosen visits imply Michigan's academics are a real factor: other than M he took in Duke, Vandy, Northwestern, and Louisville. Those first three are the kind of visits you only take as a five-star if you are serious about the education thing. Eifler($):

“Most of the schools that I visited were academic schools. That’s just what I want,” said Eifler. “I want to a school to have football and academics. Michigan showed me the academic side, but also with the power football behind it that some of the other schools just didn’t have. It was good to see what it is like to be part of that.”

USC has not offered and he seems a bit miffed about that; Oregon doesn't seem like a huge factor right now… he seems very much in play. Washington has the only two predictions for him on the Crystal Ball.

Crawford still talking M

CA WR Dylan Crawford now seems like a longer shot since the "KJ Costello brings half of California with him" plan was derailed by accursed Stanford, but Michigan remains a school of major interest:

"I want to get to Oregon for sure," Crawford said. "I'm still waiting on that offer. I would also like to visit Michigan again, either unofficially or officially. Right now, I'm wide open and don't even have a top 10 yet but the plan is to narrow things down in the summer and then commit at the end of the summer."

Crawford was being interviewed about his recent trip to… yes, Stanford. And don't expect his commitment-type substance to be final:

"After I commit, I still want to take 3-4 official visits, just for the experience. I would love to visit Alabama and LSU, maybe Michigan like I said."

Falcon coach-scout

"First of all, he's as fast as anyone around," Conley said sternly. "On the track he's setting records in the indoor 200m races and when you see him out there and he's 50 or 60 pounds heavier than the these other kids that he's running against and he's beating or tying them it's just really impressive. He is definitely a great talent. …

"What I like about Matt is that he can do a lot of things," Conley said. "Whenever we'd have a hard time blocking for him we were able to throw the ball to him because he catches it so well. He's incredible at catching the ball out of the backfield. His skill set at catching the ball is one of the best I've ever seen. We plan on using him a lot and want to put a lot of pressure on defenses. He can be really dangerous at Michigan depending on how they develop up front."

That skill will be an asset at Michigan, as Harbaugh loves those five-wide sets with base personnel. That kind of flexibility will be attractive when it comes to playing time. (And is going to be really interesting when it comes to Ty Isaac this year.)

The distant future, the year 2000

I have a policy of studiously ignoring all sophomore-and-younger offers unless given a specific reason to pay attention. This from Cass Tech 2017 safety Jaylen Kelly-Powellcounts:

"I grew up in a Michigan household," Kelly-Powell began. "My Dad is a diehard Michigan fan. He named me after his favorite Michigan basketball player, Jalen Rose. I love Michigan also."

He'll be a guy to keep an eye on. Current 180th in 247's insanely early rankings for that year.